1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a new apparatus for removing liquid from liquid bearing material and to a new method for removing liquid from liquid bearing material.
2. Prior Art Statement
It is known to provide an apparatus for removing liquid from liquid bearing material and comprising a pair of electrode means having portions thereof disposed adjacent each other and defining an inlet means to the adjacent portions and an outlet means from the adjacent portions, means for feeding the liquid bearing material into the inlet means, means for moving said liquid bearing material from the inlet means to the outlet means so that sections of the material serially move from the inlet means to the outlet means while being disposed between the adjacent portions, means for vibrating the liquid bearing material between the adjacent portions of the electrode means as the material is moving from the inlet means to the outlet means whereby a vibratory field arrangement is applied to the material, and means for creating a voltage between the pair electrode means so as to create an electrostatic field arrangement between the adjacent portions of the pair of electrode means for acting through the material that is disposed therebetween to remove liquid from that said material. For example, see the Candor U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,931,682 and 4,236,317; the Muralidhara et al U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,561,953, 4,747,920, 4,802,964 and 5,049,248; Chapter 14, pages 335-374, of the book, Advances in Solid-Liquid Separation, edited by H. S. Muralidhara and published in November, 1986; the chapter entitled "Scale-Up of Electroacoustic Dewatering of Sewage Sludges", pages 504-519 of the book, Solid/Liquid Separation: Waste Management and Productivity Enhancement, edited by H. S. Muralidhara and published in December, 1989; and the PCT patent application of Battelle Memorial Institute, No. WO 91/03309 that was published Mar. 21, 1991 (see corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,560).
It is also known from the aforementioned Candor U.S. Pat. No. 3,931,682, to sonically or ultrasonically vibrate the entire drum or roller that comprises one of the electrode means.
It is also known to attach a plurality of sonic or ultrasonic transducer elements to a single plate or sheet to vibrate the same for dewatering purposes. For example, see the Morton et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,807, and the aforementioned PCT patent application of Battelle Memorial Institute, No. WO 91/03309 that was published Mar. 21, 1991.
It is also known to provide an apparatus for removing liquid from liquid bearing material and comprising a pair of electrode means having portions thereof disposed adjacent each other, means for disposing the liquid bearing material between the adjacent portions, means for compressing the liquid bearing material between the electrode means to remove liquid from the material, and means for creating a voltage between the electrode means for acting through the material that is disposed therebetween to enhance the removal of the liquid from the material that is disposed therebetween. For example, see the aforementioned Candor U.S. Pat. No. 3,931,682; the aforementioned Candor U.S. Pat. No. 4,236,317; the Stiles U.S. Pat. No. 3,705,847; the Thomas U.S. Pat. No. 2,740,756; the aforementioned Muralidhara et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,964, and the article "Electrodes give dewatering boost" in the Nov. 2, 1990, issue of Water Quality International.
It is also known to have an electrode means of an electrodewatering apparatus formed from a plurality of conductive segments arranged in a serial manner and being electrically insulated from each other. For example, see the Japanese patent application, No. 61-259716, that was laid open by the Japanese Patent Office on Nov. 11, 1986.
It is also known to step the voltage acting through a liquid bearing material in a batch process where the liquid bearing material is stationary between a pair of electrode means. For example, see the article entitled "Electroosmotic Dewatering of Clays, I. Influence of Voltage" by N. C. Lockhart, published in 1983 in Colloids and Surfaces, Vol. 6, pages 229-238.
It is also known to provide an apparatus for removing liquid from liquid bearing material and comprising a pair of spaced electrodes for being disposed on opposite sides of the material, means for creating an electrostatic field between the electrodes for acting through the material to remove liquid from the material, and a projection extending from one of electrodes to assist in removing liquid from the liquid bearing material, the electrodes comprising a pair of movable endless belts having adjacent runs thereof adapted to move in the same direction with the material therebetween so as to move in the same direction therewith. For example, see the aforementioned Candor U.S. Pat. No. 4,236,317.
It is also known to have the projection of an arrangement project through an opening means passing through one of the electrodes. For example, see the King U.S. Pat. No. 4,341,617.
While the aforementioned Candor U.S. Pat. No. 4,236,317, also describes that the projection and the electrodes can be sonically or ultrasonically vibrated while the projection is projecting into and/or through the liquid bearing material that is disposed between the electrodes for further enhancing the electrostatic action in removing liquid from the liquid bearing material, also see the aforementioned Candor U.S. Pat. No. 3,931,682; the aforementioned Muralidhara et al U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,561,953; 4,747,920; 4,802,964 and 5,049,248, the aforementioned Chapter 14, pages 335-374, of the book Advances in Solid-Liquid Separation edited by H. S. Muralidhara; the aforementioned chapter entitled "Scale-Up of Electroacoustic Dewatering of Sewage Sludges", pages 504-519 of the book, Solid/Liquid Separation: Waste Management and Productivity Enhancement, edited by H. S. Muralidhara; and the aforementioned PCT patent application of Battelle Memorial Institute, No. WO 91/03309, that was published Mar. 21, 1991, for other examples of apparatus that utilize sonic or ultrasonic vibrations in combination with an electrostatic field to remove liquid from liquid bearing material.
It is also known to provide different frequencies and/or intensities of vibrations along the length of a vibratory tray to impart vibratory action to a slurry flowing along the top of the tray. For example, see the aforementioned Morton et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,807.
It is also known that liquid in capillaries or porous material tends to physically move in the direction of increasing field inhomogeneity to the capillary or pore mouth when an inhomogeneous electrostatic or electric field or nonuniform electrostatic or electric field is directed across that capillary or porous body. For example, see the article "Effect of a Corona Discharge Field On Evaporation of Liquids From Capillaries" by Karpovich et al, J. Eng. Phys., 1981, 41, 1333. In addition, see the article "Study of Electric Field-Induced Effects on Water Vapor Adsorption in Porous Adsorbents" by Someshwar et al, Ind. Eng. Chem. Fundam., 1985, 24, 215-220; the article "Effect of an Electric Field on the Kinetics of Water Sorption by a Capillary-Porous Material" by Panchenko et al, J. Eng. Phys., 1972, 22, 554, and the article "Influence of Inhomogeneous Electric and Magnetic Fields on Internal Mass Transfer In Capillary-Porous Bodies" by Panasyuk et al, J. Eng. Phys., 1978, 35, 827.
It is also known to provide a crossflow filter apparatus for continuously removing liquid from a liquid bearing material comprising a housing means, a filter disposed within the housing means to form a crossflow chamber in the housing means on one side of the filter and a filtrate chamber in the housing means on the other side of the filter, an electrode means disposed in one of the chambers for creating an electrostatic field arrangement that enhances the flow of liquid from the liquid bearing material in the crossflow chamber through the filter into the filtrate chamber, means for supplying the liquid bearing material into one end of the crossflow chamber, means at the other end of the crossflow chamber for removing the liquid bearing material therefrom that has been depleted of some of the liquid thereof, and means for removing filtrate from the filtrate chamber. For example, see the Muralidhara U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,043,048 and 5,064,515.